November’s last Saturday has been declared as Ghormeh Sabzi day by Iranian expatriates, as a means of introducing people to this aromatic food. A dish considered by many as Iran’s national dish, Ghormeh Sabzi is seen as

everyone’s favorite. As a 29-year-old Iranian, I’ve never seen someone who can resist this food’s temptation. In Iran, Ghormeh Sabzi is served over Saffron rice with tahdig. If you decided to make Ghormeh Sabzi, then prepare yourself; your house and even the alley would smell like it; and trust me you won’t regret it. There is an inseparable connection between ghomeh sabzi and mothers. In Iran almost everyone believes nothing can beat their mom’s cooked Ghormeh Sabzi.

History of Ghorme Sabzi:

It is said that the history of this food goes back to at least 500 to 2000 years ago. Yet, Ghormeh Sabzi is among those rare dishes which have had little diversion from the original version. However, it does not mean you can experience the same taste all around the country. The food is cooked with a little variation in different provinces in Iran which can be surprising even to Iranians. I can remember in Shushtar (Khuzestan province), I ate the spiciest one; in Guilan eggplant is added, Damghanian people use split pea instead of kidney beans; in some places, different kinds of herbs are used; even the method used and the time spent on frying herbs result in totally different kind of Ghormeh Sabzi. Actually the story can go on and on, given the number of cities and cultures we’ve got in Iran.

The word Ghorme Sabzi consists of two parts. Let’s start from the second word. Sabzi in Farsi means Herb and Ghormeh (means fried) was actually a method used by the nomads to preserve meat. The method is quite interesting: nomads lead a simple lifestyle which revolves mostly around their livestock. They have to migrate in the hope of finding a better pasture, while facing harsh weather conditions. To successfully manage the situation, they have to use some safe methods to preserve foods and necessary ingredients. Ghormeh is one of the methods they applied for meat preservation. After animal killing, the meat would be fried with fat up to the point the excess water is removed (de-moisturize it). Then, the fried meat would be put inside a rumen, and the left fat would be added. Finally, the rumen filled with meat would be sealed and kept in a safe place for future use.

Now, let’s see what will happen if East meets West? In this case, Iran and Italy. If you are a fan of pizza then the good news is, you can try Ghormeh Sabzi Pizza. In 2007, a creative Iranian chef mixed Ghormeh Sabzi and Pizza, which won him third place in the competition.

 Summary:

Winning the unofficial title of Iran’s national dish is not easy. In a country abundant with sumptuous foods, Ghormeh Sabzi (a Persian herb stew) is everyone’s favorite. The food is cooked with little variations in different regions. The word Ghormeh sabzi consists of two parts with the first hinting at a method used by the nomads to preserve meat.

History of Ranginak:

The main ingredient of Ranginak is date. Iran is among the leading countries, producing dates, or as it is called in Persian khorma. The date palm has been cultivated in Iran since ancient times. Nowadays, the date is considered as the chief product in the southern parts of the country due to their arid and desert lands. For Iranian people specifically for southern ones, the palm tree is more than just a tree, it is considered a sacred plant and highly regarded. In the Persian language, the counting unit for the palm tree is “Nafar” or as its English equivalent “person”, sufficient proof of the superior status of this tree among Iranian people. As a result, it is no wonder that date, the fruit of this imposing tree is irreplaceable in Persian cuisine and diet. The Date has found its way into a variety of Persian cuisines, from desserts to the main course, for instance, Khorma polo (Date rice). Iranians eat Khorma (date) throughout the year, however, on some occasions such as Muharram, Ramadan, mourning ceremonies, and death anniversaries, having date remains an unwritten rule. In Iran, there is an aesthetic tradition, called Kheyrat (charitable deed) the idea behind this custom is to remember the deceased. Iranians visit cemeteries on Thursday evenings (in Persian called Shab e jomeh), on this day it’s relatively common for people to distribute dates in memory and honor of their beloved ones who have passed away.

After getting familiar with the significance of the date among people, it’s time to gain knowledge regarding one of the tempting desserts made by date. Ranginak is a Persian date dessert, which has different recipes according to the region it’s prepared, for example, Shirazi, Bushehri, Kermani, etc.

Ranginak is highly rich in nutrients and possesses dietetic values. Therefore, it can be a proper option for your breakfast, brunch or even as a healthy snack. Owing to its natural energy, the dessert has a special place in Iftar (a meal by which Muslims break their fasting). Moreover, for those people suffering from low blood pressure, Ranginak can be a superb choice.

In 2017 (1396 based on the Iranian calendar), the biggest Ranginak was made in Bushehr which brought a Guinness World Record for Iran.

As mentioned before, there are different types of Ranginak, here is the one that we are going to prepare:

Ingredients:

Wheat flour (all-purpose flour): 400 gr

Pitted Date: 400 gr

Toasted Walnut: 110 gr

Cinnamon powder: 1 tablespoon

Grated Pistachio: 1 tablespoon

Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon

Oil or butter: as much as necessary

For garnish: Rose petals, shredded (grated) coconut

Method:

Step 1:

First of all stuff the dates with roasted walnut.

Step 2:

Now you need to toast the flour for a few minutes to get rid of the raw smell of flour. When done, add butter and stir constantly until it is golden brown and liquid. Avoid overcooking as it might taste bitter. When the mix is cooled down add cardamom and cinnamon.

Step3:

Spread half of the flour mix on the serving plate. Put the stuffed dates on them in a single layer. You can flatten them with pressure (optional). Pour the rest of the flour mix on top of the dates. Garnish it with rose petals and grated coconut (optional). Let it aside to cool and then serve it.

One of biggest regrets after visiting Iran will most likely be all the years you went on without knowing about Iran foods and Persian Cuisine.  Everyone who has visited Iran attests that they were surprised by the variety and quality of food that is unlike any other cuisine.  It is even hard to make comparisons to food from other regions to give you some idea.  We suggest you search for a Persian restaurant and see if one might be available in your area.  You might know, there is a huge Iranian diaspora, so you might be lucky and have one restaurant in your area.  Do not waste time! Visit it today and then tell us if you could avoid booking a flight to Iran.  And let us tell you right now, what you can taste in those restaurants are just a sample from the great variety of food available here.

You might wonder how come you have not heard much about the Persian Cuisine if it is so good.  It is due to the fact that most other cuisines that are popular around the world owe their introduction to the immigrants from those communities who started local businesses.  However, since Iranian diaspora is more of an academic population, there are not that many restaurants available in most cities except those with an unusually high population of Iranians such as Toronto and Los Angeles.

 

Home made foods in Iran!

There is usually a difference between the food you find in restaurants and the homemade food.  Since making fresh and tasty food is a daily routine in all Persian families, you often find a different selection of food at home, while a lot of the restaurants serve a variety of kebabs.  So make sure when you visit Iran after eating the tasty kebabs, to also inquire about restaurants from various regions, where you can try the homemade style of food which often consists of stew served on rice.  This might make Persian food sound somewhat close to Indian food.  Well, the proximity of the countries has certainly played a big part in this similarity, and each cuisine has influenced the other, but once you taste Persian stews, you know the taste is very different from Indian food.

 

How Persian Foods Taste?

Persian food does not have a strong spicy quality, and is rather mild and balanced.  There is an array of mild spices that tickle your palate, and invites you to focus only on the food you eat and savor each bite.  The spices that are widely used and make Iran foods different from any other are rose water, saffron, and a selection of nuts.  Persian white rice is served with the world famous Iranian saffron, that has a beautiful color and an exquisite smell.  Once you have tasted Persian rice, we guarantee all other rice to seem bland and tasteless.

 

What are you gonna have in Persian cuisine?

The stews are a great mixture of meat and vegetable.  Although a lot of Iranian food is made with a kind of meat or poultry, that portion is rather small and the type of vegetable served with the meat is the main factor in the stew.  The variety, color, and taste presents a big range including eggplant, celery, spinach, prune, carrot, and assortment of minced herbs.  Nuts and beans are also an inseparable parts of the cuisine, and one of the most unique type of foods are made with them.  For instance a poular stew, fesenjoo, is made of ground walnut and pomegranate paste.  Dizi and abgoost are mainly made of an assortment of beans and meat.  These two types along with a few of the other popular stews like ghormehsabzi  (made with minced herbs, meat, and kidney beans), gheimeh badenjan (made with meat, split peas, and eggplant), tahchin (a cake-like mixture of saffron rice and chicken) , and zereshk polo (barberry and saffron chicken and rice)can be found almost anywhere in Iran, but for more specialty type of food you either have to make the trip to the specific region or find a specialty restaurant in the city you’re visiting.

 

Iran foods and Persian cuisine is a heaven for every foodie lover!

 The food from northern part of Iran garlic is prominent and the most famous dishes from this region are baghali ghatogh, mirza ghasemi, torshi tareh, and morgh and kabab torsh.  This region is a heaven for vegetarians with a variety of vegetable based food.  The beautiful region in the west of Iran in Azerbaiejan and Kurdistan is the best for meat lovers with unique types of kebab and the best meat and kebab style. Southern food is rather spicy and perfect for seafood lovers where arguably the tastiest shrimp in the world is produced. Anywhere you go, there is a lot to see and taste.  Get ready for the tastiest trip of your life, but don’t get depressed afterwards if you could no longer find this type of food.  Don’t worry about it, there are some quick introductory classes to Persian food and you can learn the basics to take with you home.  If you do not believe us, check out the Anthony Bourdain’s episode on Iranian cuisine.